Cong bastion gets first UID address

A Congress bastion over the years, the tribal dominated Nandurbar district in Maharashtra has been chosen for the launch of Aadhaar, the unique identity (UID) numbers. The district surrounded by the Satpura ranges, which continues to report malnutrition deaths, was an obvious choice as it could get a facelift in view of national attention.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will issue the first set of Aadhaars on September 29 in Tembli village of Nandurbar district in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The decision, according to the authority, has been taken depending on the state's readiness for enrolment in the UID system.

It may be noted, former prime ministers Indira Gandhi (1979 and 1980) and Rajiv Gandhi (1991), as well as Congress president Sonia Gandhi (1998) had selected Nandurbar to address public meetings. By favouring the district, situated on the Gujarat border, both the central and state governments seem to have arrived at a consensus that the district deserves more to increase the pace of development.

Chief Minister Ashok Chavan opines that the launch in a tribal area will help send the right signal that this programme can be implemented successfully anywhere in the country.

“It is a political decision, as in Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh a lot of other programmes are being launched simultaneously. The PM wanted this to be a standalone launch. Moreover, Sonia Gandhi may go there for the launch along with the PM,” said a UIDAI official.